About 1,000 years passed after Muhammad and God saw that many people were not listening to their Prophets. Most of the Jews were not listening to Moses. Most of the Buddhists were not listening to Buddha. Most of the Christians were not listening to Jesus. Most of the Muslems were not listening to Muhammad.

It was time to send a new Messenger. In fact there were so many problems in the world that God sent two Messengers. Their names were the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. Today we will hear about the Báb. The name Báb means Gate. This is because He would open the way for Bahá’u’lláh to come.

The Báb was born in Iran, far, far away. His father died when He was a baby and so He was brought up in His uncle’s house. When He was old enough He went to school for a while, but the teacher said, "This child seems to be ready to proclaim, to give out a message to the world. You see this child comes to my school as a pupil, but really He is my teacher!" The teacher said that he was not able to teach the boy any more.

He was so clever because He was going to be God’s Messenger. When He left school He went to work for His uncle in his shop. When He was older He began to tell the people what God told Him to say. His most important Message was that soon God would send His Promised One. The Báb was so wonderful and His words were so powerful that many people crowded round Him to listen. At last the government and priests became very worried. They felt that they would lose their power over the people and they would lose their wealth too. They excited the people to rise against the Báb and His followers, who were called Bábís. They killed many of them and stole their property. Then they put the Báb is prison and continued to kill the Bábís.

One day the soldiers were told to take the Báb right across the country to a prison in the mountains in the north. The Báb and the soldiers all travelled riding on horses and camped each night. The people in the villages they passed through, used to come out to meet the Báb and in the evenings when they camped they would come to listen to the Báb and His wonderful Words.

He would talk to them and bless them. So many people followed the Báb and listened to Him instead of listening to the priests, that the priests became scared that the people would leave their mosques and follow the Báb. Eventually the priests said that the only way to stop this religion was to kill the Báb, so a regiment of soldiers was ordered to shoot Him. But no-one can stop God’s work so even though the Báb was martyred (killed) the followers of the Báb, who were not killed went on teaching the new Teachings. They reminded the people that another Messenger would soon come and they must be ready to welcome Him when He came.

Activities:- Draw the most beautiful iron gate with twists and decorations all over it. This will remind us that the name Báb means Gate.